By Brian Lawrence
Creston residents may have spent 2018 divided over a fire hall borrowing referendum, but the fact that the incumbent mayor and four incumbent councillors were re-elected to their positions was a strong vote of confidence in the community’s commitment to council’s direction.
“It says things are going down the right road,” said Creston Mayor Ron Toyota last week. “I believe I have a supportive council that wants to see things for the community.”
Following a judicial recount, Toyota was returned for a fourth term as mayor, ahead of challengers Bill Hutchinson and Mary Jayne Blackmore. Incumbent Couns. Jen Comer, Jim Elford, Karen Unruh and Joanna Wilson were also re-elected, joined by newcomers Arnold DeBoon and Ellen Tzakis. The approval to borrow up to $4.5 million to finance a new fire hall was approved 1,301-885.
With the town’s residents providing the mandate to proceed with plans for the fire hall, the town will establish a technical building advisory committee, which will include town council, members of the former fire hall advisory select committee and four qualified members of the public. A request for proposals could be put out in a few months, with the possibility of construction starting in the months following.
“I would like to think that later this year we’ll be breaking ground,” said Toyota. “I think that sometime in ’20 it will be done.”
While council gives final approval for town projects, the process that led to this point can be directly attributed to the work ethic and determination of town staff.
“If you do anything, it’s the fact that the dedication of town staff is being supported by council… The amount of work they’ve done, people just do not understand,” said Toyota, who spent an average of 128 hours a month in his role as mayor.
Although the fire hall referendum — the second following a failed vote in December 2017 — dominated town-related news over the past year, it’s far from the only noteworthy event of 2018. Following are some of Toyota’s highlights:
•In April, the town announced that it was buying the Creston Education Centre and other property from School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) for $550,000, putting an end to several years of the community battling with the school district in an attempt to save the space from closure. Tenants include early years programs run by Valley Community Services and SD8’s own Homelinks program.
The CEC is on seven acres of property adjacent to Centennial Park, which could be used to expand the park, create new sports venues or develop housing.
“We’re not making any plans, but we’re going to make sure anything that’s developed is good for the town of Creston,” said Toyota.
The deal also included SD8 properties on Canyon Street between 16th and 18th avenues, spaces that are vital to realignment plans that would see Highway 3 moved from Canyon Street to Cook Street.
“The Ministry of Transportation is very pleased that land has been acquired.”
•In June, former town manager Lou Varela departed following the 2017 defeat of the fire hall referendum; she had been at Creston Town Hall since 2009 and held the manager’s position since 2011. Creston Fire Rescue chief Michael Moore was named interim manager, with assistant fire chief Jared Riel becoming the acting fire chief.
With an election in sight, the previous council chose to let the new council make a permanent decision. A consultant has been hired to explain the process to council this month. Toyota said that with the potential for wildfires and flash floods, emergency management experience may play a role in the decision.
Early in 2018, nearly $6 million in grant funding was announced for improvements to the community complex and the waste water treatment plant.
A $3.1 million federal Gas Tax Fund grant was obtained by the Regional District of Central Kootenay for the development of the Creston Community Park, now under construction on the hill east of the Creston and District Community Complex.
As well, a $2.8 million biosolids grant will enhance the town’s waste water treatment plant.
“The [Columbia] Brewery is a 50 per cent partner in the facility,” said Toyota. “So they got a big gift.”
•On the business front, a new gas bar — with a second possible — will open at the north end of town on Northwest Boulevard. Centex will begin construction on its new gas bar this month.
The town has five business licence applications from potential cannabis stores. Although a survey in the spring indicated that most residents would prefer a limited number of shops, council chose to allow all those that obtain licences from the province to open, letting the market determine how many businesses are needed.
“All we’re doing is creating rules — your hours, your location, that sort of stuff,” said Toyota.
•The Planning Institute of BC awarded the town with a silver award for Excellence in Policy Planning for its development of an updated Official Community Plan, the town’s first since 2001. The OCP’s creation involved heavy input from the community and cost $200,000, paid for with grant funding.
•In March, Toyota was invited to the BC Leadership Prayer Breakfast, which hosted about 1,000 guests at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. He joined about a dozen at the head table, including B.C.’s lieutenant-governor and premier, and a federal government representative.
•The town celebrated the completion of upgrades to the Arrow Creek Water System in the summer, with the re-opening of the drinking water fountain in Erickson. Since 2008, 11 kilometres of the pipeline, built in 1929, were replaced, and are now pressurized instead of gravity-fed.
•In looking back over 2018, Toyota also noted happenings around town that didn’t directly involve the Town of Creston but were significant to the community.
The redevelopment of the former Kootenay Hotel into Casey’s Community House, which opened in the spring, was high on the list.
“That inspired the downtown,” he said.
Although it received little fanfare, also significant was the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s resurfacing of Canyon Street between 10th and 16th avenues. Using the “mill and fill” method, the project was completed over a 48-hour period in early September.
And investment by the Columbia Basin Trust will preserve a key Creston landmark — the downtown grain elevators.
“Those are our icons,” said Toyota. “We know they’re not going to be torn down. We know they’re not going to be commercially developed.”
